Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-22

purplish red.
This method of restriction was the re-
suit of long thought and study on her
part. She tried many others, which had
proved Intellectual. Willy, the eldest
could master knots like sailor. Many
time the grandmother had returned to
find the house empty. Willy had unfas
tened his own knot and liberated his lit
tie sisters, and then all three had made
the most of their freedom. But even
Willy, with his sharp fve-year- brain
and his nimble little fingers, could not
unite knot whose two ends brushed the
ceiling. Now, Marg'ret was sure to find
them all where she left them.
After the children were set at liberty
sho got their supper, arranging 1t neatly
on the table between the windows. There
was nice white table cover, and the six
silver teaspoons shone. The teaspoons
were the mark of food-tide OF Marg 'ret's
aspirations, anG she had had aspirations
all her life. She had given them to her
daughter, the child's mother, on her mar
riage. She herself had never owned q
bit of silver, but she determined to pre-
sent her daughter with some.
I'm goin' to hev you hev things like
other folks,' she had said.
Now the daughter was dead, and she
had the spoons. She regarded the daily
use of them as an almost sinful luxury,
but she brought them out in their heavy
glass tumbIer every meal.
"I'm goin' to hev them children learn
to eat off silver spoons" she said, def
antly, to their father; they'll think more of
themselves"
The father, Joseph Snow, was trying to
earn living in the city, hundred miles
distant. He was himself very young,
and had not hitherto displayed much
business capacity, although he was good
and willing. They had been very poor
before his wife died; ever since he had
not been able to do much more than feed
and clothe himself. He had sent few
dollars to Marg'ret from time to time =
dollars which he had saved and scrimped
pitifully to accumulate-but the burden
of their support had come upon her.
She had sewed carpets and assisted IN
spring cleanings = everything to which
she could turn hand. Marg'ret was a
tailoress, but she could now get no en-
ployment at her trade. The boys all
wore "store clothes" in these days. She
could only pick up few cents at a time:
still she managed to keep the children in
comfort, with roof over their heads and
something to eat. Their cheeks were fat
and pink; they were noisy and happy,
and also pretty.
After the children were in bed that
night she stood in her kitchen window and
gazed across at Mrs. Luther EIy's house.
She had left the candle in the children's
room-the little things were afraid with
out it-and she had not yet lighted one
for herself; SO she could see out quite
plainly, although the night was dark.
There was light in the parlor Of the
opposite house, the Nottingham lace cur
tains showed finely their pattern of leaves
and flowers. Marg'ret eyed them. ''Tain't
no use my tryin' to git up NOTCH" she
muttered. '"Tain't no use for some
folks. They 'ain't worked no harder than
have; Louisa Ely 'aint never begun to
work so hard; but they kin have lace cur
tains an Christmas trees"
The words sounded envious. Still she
was hardly that; subsequent events proved
it, Her "tryin' TO git up NOTCH" ex-
planned everything. Mrs. Luther Ely,
the lace curtains, and the Christmas tree
were as three stars set on that higher
'notch" which she wished to gain. If the
of rusty wool, if the lace draperies had
been real, Marg'ret would hardly have
wasted one wistful glance on them. But
Mrs. Luther Ely had been all her1if the
one notch higher, which had seemed al
most attainable. In that opposite house
there was only one carpet; Marg'ret
might have hoped for one carpet. Mrs.
Ely's son-in-law earned only a comfort
10 IISTJro fnr hi fnr 81
might have done that. Worst of all each
woman had one daughter, and Marg'rets
had died.
Marg'ret had been ambitious all her
life. She had made struggle after strug-
gle. The tailoress trade was one of them.
She made up her mind that she would
have things like other people. Then she
married and her husband spent her
money. One failure came after another.
She slipped back again and again on the
step to that higher notch. And here she
was tonight, old and poor, with these
three helpless children dependent upon
her.
But she felt something besides disap-
pointed ambition as she stood gazing
out tonight.
"Thar's the children she went on;
can . nave nOth1n' Tor christmas.
'ain't got cent I kin spare. If [ git
'em enough to eat, Pm lucky"
Presently she turned away and lighted
lamp. She had some sewing to do for
the children, and was just sitting down
with it, when she paused suddeEly and
stood rejecting.
Give got a good mind to GO down to
Whites an" see what he's got in for
Christmas" said she. ''Mebbe Jose oh IL
send some money long next week, an if
he does, nlebbe I kin git 'em some little
thing. 1t would be good plan for me
to kind of price 'em."
Marg'ret laid her work down, got her
hood and shawl, and went out, fastening
the house securely, and also the door of
the room where the stove was.
To her eyes the village store which she
presently entered was very emporium
of beauty and richness. She stared at
the festoons of evergreens, the dangling
trumpets and drums, the counters heaped
with cheap toys, with awe and longing.
She asked respectfully the price of this
and that, some things less pretentious
than others. But it was all beyond her.
She might as we'll have prjce1 diamonds